Tim Veldhuizen stands in front of the Moody's American Grill sign at the new restaurant in downtown Greeley. He named it after an old downtown mercantile, Moody’s Dry Goods, which he came across in a historic photo.

Related Media

With the opening of his second restaurant in downtown Greeley, Tim Veldhuizen hopes to bring something old along with the host of new things the restaurant offers.

After opening The Chophouse downtown, he saw room for another lunch option and set up Moody’s American Grill. Velhuizen said part of a downtown’s appeal is its history, and to connect the new restaurant to old Greeley, he named it after a one-time downtown mercantile, Moody’s Dry Goods, which he came across in an historic photo.

“We thought, we like the name and we should keep Moody’s alive in Greeley,” Veldhuizen said.

With only a handful of lunch spots in downtown, Veldhuizen said he wanted to give the lunch crowd another option with plenty of variety that would still allow people to get back to work within an hour.

Alison Hamling, director of downtown experience for Greeley’s Downtown Development Authority, said Veldhuizen hit on a somewhat-lacking lunch market, and there’s still plenty of room for more.

“We just really feel like the more the merrier, and most of our merchants feel that way,” Hamling said. “When you have more choices, they draw people downtown.”

When he was a teenager, it was Veldhuizen’s first job at a Ray restaurant that led to his interest in the food business. He said he walked in on the first night he worked, expecting to wash dishes, and his boss told him, “No, you’re cooking,” as he recalled.

He learned a great deal from his boss, who had great character, as he put it, and that job set the wheels in motion.

“He’s the one who got me into restaurants,” Veldhuizen said.

After Veldhuizen earned a business degree in Washington state, he left for Europe, taking only his bicycle and $300. He’d travel until he ran out of money, he said, and then he’d find a job somewhere. He said he worked odd jobs — digging ditches and welding — and he started off as a bread delivery man at a Swiss shop before eventually learning how to bake there.

When he returned to the United States in the late ’80s, he started working at a restaurant in Loveland, The Summit, which he would eventually co-own. Veldhuizen brought his more than 25 years of experience to Greeley with his two restaurants and hopes to keep expanding.

At Moody’s, he said, the main point is to attract the noon-hour crowds, but he also wants to give people a more casual alternative to the white-tablecloth atmosphere of the Chophouse. He also wanted to give the menu a casual feel while kicking up American-style dishes ­— presenting items like Lobster Pot Pie, Smothered Fries, and Ahi Tuna Nachos.

“All those things are kind of traditional items with a twist,” he said. “We like to give all the foods a flavor twist to keep things interesting.”

Veldhuizen also incorporated dishes he picked up while running an American restaurant in Argentina, adding plates including Salteña Empanadas to the mix.

“They had never heard of Philly cheese steak or ceasar salad (in Argentina),” he said. “We introduced something new down there. The empanadas are a real traditional item for Argentina, so likewise, we wanted to bring those items here.”

Some dishes are close to home for Veldhuizen. He said his 11-year-old daughter Juliana, the youngest of four children, was the inspiration and namesake for Sister J’s Righteous Ribs.

“She’s the one who’s really most into the food,” he said. “She loves to help in the kitchen.”

The menu offers appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes and dessert, along with an assortment of beers and wine. Veldhuizen said he wants to give diners price options, as well, so there’s something for everyone, budget-wise.

“Nothing on the menu is really expensive,” he said. “It’s all designed to be really a nice, casual experience.”

Moody’s is on the corner of 8th Avenue and 9th Street, the former location of Grabo’s Bar and Grill, which transitioned into a sports-type bar in the space previously occupied by Sky Nightclub. Veldhuizen said the space was ideal, both in location and in the fact that it was already set up with a kitchen.

“I think that the location is just an A+, lots of traffic right in the center of the business action that’s going on in downtown Greeley.”

Hamling said Moody’s location is a key spot.

“We think they’re going to be another very important anchor,” Hamling said.

Hamling said the combination of variety and reasonable prices are both working to the advantage of the restaurant.

“We are very, very excited,” she said. “We think it’s a niche that needed to be filled here in the market. It has a very unique menu and a very warm atmosphere, very inviting.”

She added that dishes like the Smothered French Fries, the Shrimp Scampi and the Lobster Pot Pie were big hits at her table on opening day.

“Tim knows what he’s doing with restaurants,” she said.

Veldhuizen said he hopes to keep working on new ideas, always trying to avoid stagnation. He said he enjoys the food part of his businesses, but he’s really enthralled with the amount of opportunities and life experiences he gets from running restaurants.

“I want to make the most of every single day,” he said. “I want to learn something new every day and share that with others.”